The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545685
THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 157 with the Rivals Industry No. 24 recruit and No. 6 receiver in the country, but no one is doing a better job recruiting the No. 2 recruit in Michigan out of Harper Woods High early on. If the passing of- fense looks solid in the fall, the Wolver- ines should be the team to beat here. Top 100 LB Gabriel Player Michigan offered Player this spring, and he will be one of the program's top overall targets dur- ing the 2028 cycle. He ranks No. 40 nation- ally and No. 3 among linebackers as a 6-3, 1 9 0 - p o u n d r i s i n g junior from Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gal- lie High. Texas A&M, Miami, Clemson, Ohio State and others are also pushing here. This will be a difficult recruitment to win, but Michigan will battle for a spot in his top group. Top 100 EDGE Jayden Bell Bell is another top priority in-state tar- get who checks in as a 6-4, 210-pound edge. He's the No. 42 recruit and No. 8 pass rusher in the country out of Bloom- field Hills (Mich.) Brother Rice. The No. 4 recruit in Michigan's 2028 class picked up an offer from the Wolverines and visited this spring. He has his eyes on schools like Oklahoma, Florida, Oregon and Kentucky early on, but U-M defi- nitely is standing out as well, he recently shared with The Wolverine. Bell feels like a priority for Michigan, and he likes the program's winning tradition and track record with defensive line development. Top 100 DL Simon Nuamah Nuamah's recruitment exploded over the past few months, and he's now the No. 51 recruit in the country with a long list of Power Four offers. The Marion (Mass.) Tabor Acad- emy defensive line- m a n i s t h e No. 2 recruit in Massachu- setts, and he visited the Wolverines for the spring game. That trip left a super strong impression. Nuamah, the No. 7 defensive lineman nationally, hopes to return to Ann Arbor in the fall for a game day. Top 100 TE Tytan McNeal McNeal also visited Michigan in the spring, and the 6-4, 220-pound tight end f r o m S a m m a m i s h ( Wa s h . ) E a s t s i d e Catholic High left campus with a high opinion of the pro- gram. He's the No. 2 tight end in the class and the No. 64 re- cruit nationally. The coveted prospect with offers from Oklahoma, Miami and many others will "definitely" return to Ann Arbor at some point. He will be one of Freddie Whittingham's priority targets in the 2028 class. McNeal is the No. 2 recruit in Washington. Top 100 EDGE Major Stokes Michigan offered and hosted Stokes on a visit this spring and really impressed the No. 74 recruit and No. 10 edge rusher in the country and the No. 2 prospect in Utah. He's team- mates with Tonata at Orem High, so expect the Wolverines to spend a lot of time around his school over the next couple of years. Stokes is a physically impressive prospect at 6-5, 237 pounds. He plans on visiting the Wol- verines again and has a close connection to the coaching staff already given their Utah and BYU roots. Stokes will be one of the program's top overall targets on the defensive line this year. USC, Oregon, Alabama, Texas A&M and many others have also offered Stokes. Top 100 ATH Camden Noe Noe, the No. 68 recruit and No. 2 ath- lete nationally per Ri- vals scouts, hails from Portage (Mich.) Cen- tral, grew up a U-M fan and still roots for the Wolverines. The 6-3, 210-pound ath- lete holds offers on both sides of the ball. After watching him work out this spring, Michigan likes him at tight end but just wants him on the team as a football player. Ohio State and Iowa also impressed him this spring, and Notre Dame just offered him in June, but Michigan has strong connections to the No. 5 recruit in the state that should help them here. ❑ Jayden Bell is another top priority in-state target for the Wolverines. Rivals ranks him as the No. 49 pros- pect and No. 6 pass rusher in the country out of Bloomfield Hills (Mich.) Brother Rice. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS